Will the Toyota Avalon Make Big Sedans Cool Again?

If you’ve never driven a Toyota Avalon, I’d highly recommend you do so next time you’re in the market for a sedan.

The Avalon isn’t especially fast and it won’t carve the corners like sport sedans do. The Avalon, though, is a comfortable cruiser that feels more planted and solid than a Camry while offering more of an understated style compared to a Lexus. I’ve driven a few and always fall a little bit more in love every time.

Sedans like the Avalon are falling out of favor with American consumers as they turn en masse toward higher-riding crossovers and SUVs. That’s a shame, because the Avalon is a worthy vehicle in an almost forgotten segment.

Buyers will have another chance to rediscover the Avalon because it’s coming back, all new, for 2019.

Aside from the aforementioned SUVs, there’s not a lot of competition in the full-size sedan market. Can you count on one hand the number of times you saw a Ford Taurus, Chevrolet Impala, Chrysler 300, or Nissan Maxima in the last week?

The 2018 Avalon was carried over from the previous model year but, even still, offers a classic sedan experience that some might find comforting. Our own Rob Feeman said of the car,

Seating 5 passengers, the Avalon provides plenty of legroom and headroom in both rows, and all the expected niceties of a full-size luxury sedan are included. Even the base XLE trim comes standard with leather upholstery, heated power-adjustable front seats, wood-grain trim, dual-zone climate control, and Toyota’s Entune infotainment system, while the XLE Plus adds push-button start and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror with a compass.

Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I appreciate the simple old-world elegance the Avalon offers. What will the 2019 look like?

If the new Camry is any indication, the Avalon could get some bold new design and technology treatments to bring it into the third decade of the 2000s.

We’ll know for sure when the new Avalon debuts at the Detroit auto show next month. Stay tuned to CarGurus social media for show coverage and, in the meantime, find a used Avalon to take out for a test drive. You just might fall in love.

How could a sedan drive back into your good graces?

-tgriffith

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